MAHOGANY. 133 
The cutting of mahogany constitutes a principal 
occupation of the British settlers in the vicinity of 
Honduras. The gangs of negroes employed in this 
work consist of from ten to fifty each, one of whom 
is styled the " huntsman." He is generally selected 
from the most intelligent of his companions, and his 
chief employment is to search for these trees in the 
woods, the principal of which lie adjacent to the river 
Balize. About the beginning of August, the huntsman 
is despatched into the woods, and he cuts his way 
through the thickest parts, to the highest spots he can 
find. Here he climbs the loftiest tree, and thence at- 
tentively surveys the surrounding forest. At this sea- 
son the leaves of the mahogany trees are of a yellow 
reddish hue, and an eye accustomed to them can dis- 
cover, at a great distance, the places where they are 
most abundant. He now descends, and to such places 
directs his steps; and, having well marked the way, 
returns to his companions, to point out the places to 
them. 
Here they assemble, and erect, against each tree to 
be felled, a stage so high as to allow of the tree being 
cut down at the height of about twelve feet from the 
ground. The last day of felling the trees is appro- 
priated to festivity; and these people have then a short 
interval of leisure for comforts in which they seldom 
can indulge at any other time. 
After the branches are lopped, and the useless parts 
of the wood are cut off, the operation commences of 
conveying the trees, by cattle and trucks, to the water's 
side, a task of infinite and laborious difficulty. A 
sufficient number of pieces to form a raft being here 
collected, they are shoved from the bank into the 
water, and suffered to float singly upon the current to 
large cables which are placed across the river at some 
distance below. As numerous gangs of mahogany 
cutters are usually employed near the banks of the 
same river, their trees also float to the same spot. Here 
therefore the whole are collected, amounting some- 
